Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames
American Last Names as First Names
Across 10 pages
of 10
Porter
English from French occupational name
"doorkeeper or carrier"
Porter is one clubby surname or occupational that was given to around 80 baby girls in the US last year -- and nearly 600 baby boys. Porter has an 80s WASP-y Ralph Lauren feel, buttoned-up and old…
Crawford
English
"ford where crows gather"
A common surname in Scotland, but a starchy first name choice.
Gray
Color name
This color name, spelled either Gray or Grey is rapidly catching on. Actress Jenny von Oy recently called her daughter Gray Audrey.
Boyd
Scottish
"blond"
Has a bit of a hayseed image, and that oy sound is tough to work with.
Bennet
Variation of Bennett, English form of Benedict, Latin
"blessed"
This spelling of Bennett is typically seen as a surname, but gets moderate use as a first name for baby boys and girls.
Watson
English and Scottish surname related to Walter
"son of Wat"
What with the resurgence of W names like Weston and Walter, the prominence of high profile actress Emma and golfer Bubba, and even the attention paid to Watson, the IBM computer on "Jeopardy" (named…
Ward
English occupational name
"guard, watchman"
Until recently Ward was, like Wally, a Cleaver name, but today's parents are seeing it as a cooler nickname for Edward than Eddie, and are also beginning to use it on its own.
Gordon
Scottish
"great hill"
As this long-term Age of Jordans, both male and female, begins to wind down, the neglected Scottish favorite Gordon, with its more distinguished history, could come back as a distinctive alternative.…
Shaw
English
"dweller by the wood"
With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big…
Kim
English diminutive of Kimberly; Vietnamese; Scandinavian diminutive of Joachima; Soviet name
Kim was the coolest name... of the 1960s. Kim was popularized by actress Kim Novak, and its energy is still maintained by rapper Lil' Kim, but it holds lil' or no appeal for new babies. Parents who…
Ramos
Ramos is predominantly a surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the Latin "ramus" meaning "branch" or "bough." Its use as a first name is relatively uncommon but occurs in…
Howard
German, English
"high guardian; brave heart"
Howard, once hugely popular in the Top 50 from the 1870s to early 1950s, hitting Number 24 in 1920 -- has been stuck in Dad-Grandad limbo for decades, but is showing some signs of stirring back to…
Knight
English word name
" a mounted man-at-arms serving a feudal superior"
Knight (as opposed to Night) is a name clad in shiny armor. This high-ranking word name was introduced by singers Kelis and Nas. Knight might join brothers King, Royal, and Noble in a new definition…
Spencer
French
"keeper of provisions"
Yes, Spencer makes a plausible and powerful female choice these days, though it's still used four times as often for boys as for girls. But Spencer does not swim that far beneath the Top 1000, used…
Gardner
English
"keeper of the garden"
Surely one of the most pleasant and evocative of the occupational options.
Morris
English variation of Maurice
"dark-skinned"
Morris is as quiet and comfortable as a Morris chair, and has the same vintage feel. Once a Top 100 name in the early 1900s, Morris fell completely off the roster in 1995, probably due to lingering…
Berry
Nature name
With the recent arrival of fruit names like Apple and Plum, this more traditional example, symbolic of fertility, might rise in popularity. Photographer Berry Berenson was born Berinthia.…
Matthews
Matthews is primarily known as an Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the given name Matthew, which comes from the Hebrew name Matityahu, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God." As a first name,…
Arnold
English from German
"ruler, strong as an eagle"
Strange as it may now seem, the venerable St. Arnold was a Greek by birth, a musician who became a member of the court of Charlemagne. The name is said to have been introduced into Britain by the…
Wagner
German occupational name
"wagon maker"
Whether pronounced like the wag of a tail or as the correct German VAHG-ner, this might be something a devoted opera buff could consider as a middle name.